Here is the study (pdf).
The Gaza-based Community Training Center for Crisis Management, supported by War Child Alliance, surveyed more than 500 Palestinian children in Gaza last June. The results in brief:
- 96% of children feel death is imminent
- 92% of children are not accepting of reality,
- 87% display severe fear,
- 79% suffer from nightmares,
- 77% of children avoid talking about traumatic events,
- 73% of children exhibit symptoms of aggression,
- 49% of children wish to die because of the war.
There are “many more show signs of withdrawal and severe anxiety, alongside a pervasive sense of hopelessness”, the organization War Child Alliance says.
A seminal 2019 study published in the Lancet indicated that 22% of individuals in a conflict affected population would suffer from a mental disorder*. In comparison, the figures from this needs assessment study indicate that virtually all of the most vulnerable children in Gaza require psychosocial and trauma recovery support.
I can’t even imagine a child wishing death upon themselves. Never mind comprehending it or understanding the severity. Those poor kids man. I don’t understand why peace can’t be an option. I just don’t get it.
Once a group has fully dehumanized another, no amount of suffering will ever budge them. If they also make the dehumanized group The Enemy, the suffering becomes a positive thing.